��������

Over the many years I’ve been a grader, I’ve seen how incredibly useful exam preparation workshops and practice tests can be. I’ve also seen an unfortunately high number of exams with dozens of errors that might have been avoided had the candidate first taken a practice test, received informative comments from a grader, and taken those comments into account while preparing for the exam. A candidate may reason, “I’ve been a translator for some time; I know what I’m doing, so I don’t need to practice.” Other candidates do order a practice test but don’t submit it for grading, and still others take the test but then proceed to sit for the exam before receiving the results. The purpose of this column is to demonstrate the benefits of the practice test and to encourage candidates who may still question the value of this additional step to make this wise investment.

Benefit No. 1—Dollars and Cents

At present, the fee for taking ATA’s certification exam is $525, while the practice test costs only $105 for ATA members ($155 for non-members).

As you’ll see here, the practice test gives you a lot of valuable feedback that will help you prepare more effectively before laying out a substantial sum on the exam (which, if you pass it, is well worth the investment, as Elias Shakkour demonstrated in his column in the May/June issue, “Why ATA Certification? Benefits of the Credential”).

Benefit No. 2—Inside Knowledge

As a student, I always wanted to make sure I got good grades not only by mastering the material, but also by figuring out what the teacher’s expectations were and answering test questions accordingly. Reading all the information available on ATA’s website (Explanation of Error Categories, Flowchart for Error Point Decisions, Framework for Standardized Error Marking and, if applicable, Into-English Grading Standards) gives you advance knowledge of graders’ standards and expectations. So does taking the practice test! Taking an exam without this information is a stab in the dark.

Benefit No. 3—The Most Bang for Your Buck

Graders take great care to mark practice tests with explanatory comments that tell you why a particular translation solution is not appropriate (unless the error is something obvious like a misspelling) and suggest better renditions. Although taking a practice test doesn’t substitute for a course in translation taught by an expert instructor, it gives you valuable insight into the grading methodology (and for that reason, even if you have studied translation, it’s wise to take this test). Below, I will show you a mock practice test that will give you an idea of what you may receive.

Mock Practice Test with Comments

Although a translation exam always involves two languages, for our purposes I’ll use an English passage that can be considered an accurate back-translation from an imaginary source language, along with an altered version that represents a hypothetical candidate’s translation into English. Incidentally, when ATA graders participate in mandatory training sessions, we often use this method to align grading criteria across languages.

Here is an excerpt from the source text (the first three paragraphs of a 244-word passage):

Doping scandals have long tarnished the integrity of sports and raised crucial questions about fairness and ethics. From Lance Armstrong to Russia’s state-sponsored doping program, performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) continue to plague elite athletics. Despite advancements in drug testing by organizations like the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), athletes often find ways to circumvent the system. The immense pressure to win—fueled by money, fame, and national pride—drives many to cheat, rationalizing their actions as part of the game.

However, doping isn’t just about cheating; it’s also a serious health risk. These substances come with long-term consequences, such as cardiovascular issues and hormonal damage. Not only that, but allowing doping to persist sends the wrong message to young athletes: that success at any cost is acceptable, and that natural talent and hard work are secondary.

Some argue for legalizing doping, on the grounds that it would level the playing field. But this ignores the core values of sports: discipline, perseverance, and human excellence. Legalizing PEDs would turn athletics into a pharmaceutical arms race, eroding the joy of witnessing athletes achieve greatness through their own merits.

And here is an imaginary candidate’s translation, with grader markings.

The integrity of sport¹ has been called into question for a long time due to unfair and unethical doping scandals². Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) have pestered³ the world’s top athletes,⁴ including Lance Armstrong and the Russian government’s doping program. While it’s true that progress in drug screening by such international agencies as the International anti-doping association (IADA)⁵ have⁶ been achieved, it’s frequent that⁷ athletes discover ways to get around the system. Rationalizing cheating as just part of competition, tremendous pressure is put on athletes⁸ compete for big bucks, notoriety and national pride.

Taking PEDs is not just a question of breaking the rules, it also seriously endangers athletes’ health. Among others⁹, far-reaching consequences accompany these drugs, including heart and lung problems and hormonal damage. Moreover, if we let young athletes take these drugs, we’re telling them victory at any price is okay, regardless of their innate abilities and work ethic¹⁰.

There are those who advocate for legalizing doping because it will put everyone on an equal footing, disregarding sport’s essential values;¹¹ discipline, persistence and human excellence. Making PEDs legal would generate an arms race in sports and would diminish the thrill of seeing athletes succeed based on their personal qualities.

Here are the grader comments, with error categories and points:

Error-Specific Comments

1. U1—In U.S. English, sports is plural, though it takes a singular verb. Sport, singular, is used in the U.K. and some other English-speaking countries.
2. F4—What is unfair and unethical is the doping itself, not the scandals. A more accurate rendition would be “scandals arising from unfair and unethical use of performance-enhancing drugs, known as doping.”
3. T1—The source term plague suggests a persistent problem, whereas pester suggests nagging or annoying. Perhaps burden or trouble would be a better choice.
4. MU4—The source text says athletics, a synonym for sports, not athletes, individuals who practice sports.
5. T2, C1—Do not coin new acronyms for international organizations. Although the name of the organization is translated into many other languages, the official acronym is still the English one, WADA. Organization names are capitalized like book titles in U.S. English (see the section on acronyms and the explanation of the first type of headings capitalization in the Into-English Grading Standards.)
6. G2—The subject of this sentence is progress, so the verb should be the singular has.
7. U1—A more idiomatic and less wordy rendition would be frequently or often.
8. AMB2—This introductory phrase, known as a “dangling modifier,” causes confusion because it isn’t clear what it modifies. In the source text, the athletes rationalize cheating, but the subject of this sentence is pressure. When you begin a sentence with a participial phrase such as “rationalizing cheating,” the subject of the sentence should also be the subject of the verb corresponding to the participle. See the discussion of dangling modifiers in the Into-English Grading Standards.
9. AMB1—It’s not clear what “others” are referred to here. You can clarify it by saying “among other threats, …”
10. Q1—Good solution!
11. P1—A colon rather than a semicolon should be used here. See the rules for colons and semicolons in the Into-English Grading Standards.

General Comments

The translation displays some good strategies for meaning transfer and creative solutions. However, in some instances you misunderstood the source text, perhaps due to a failure to read carefully (as in reading “athletes” for “athletics”). You also had some problems expressing ideas clearly in English. Remember to read the source passage thoroughly and think about the overall message when translating. When you have completed your draft translation, review it carefully to make sure it flows logically. To check on fine points of grammar and usage, refer to ATA’s Into-English Grading Standards.

Conclusion

As you can see, practice tests provide candidates with constructive feedback on their performance. The chance to review this feedback offers clear guidance that can help the candidate succeed on the exam. For example, it might encourage them to practice translating in a more mindful manner by paying more attention to nuances in word meanings and usage, making sure the translation conveys the author’s message idiomatically and coherently, and carefully proofreading to catch mechanical errors. In addition, practice test feedback reassures candidates that there are multiple ways to convey a message accurately.

I hope this detailed analysis of a practice test serves to encourage candidates to avail themselves of this valuable tool for exam preparation. It’s far better to spend $105 to discover your strengths and weaknesses as a translator and become familiar with the grading process, than to risk a much larger sum on an experiment with an unpredictable outcome.

(Note: Many thanks to Elias Shakkour, Larry Bogoslaw, and Caron Bailey for their invaluable help in drafting this article.)

---

About the Author

Holly Mikkelson, CT, is professor emerita of translation and interpreting at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She is a federally certified court interpreter and an ATA-certified Spanish<>English translator with four decades of professional experience. She has taught classes and workshops all over the world. She has written many articles and books on various aspects of interpreting and is the author of the Acebo training manuals for court and medical interpreters. She serves as deputy chair of ATA’s Certification Committee. hmikkelson@gmail.com